Bengaluru temples gear up for Vaikunta Ekadashi ritual

Temples in Bengaluru have been decked up for the auspicious Vaikunta Ekadashi celebrations on Monday. Several temples and religious organisations across Bengaluru have made elaborate arrangements for the day. While a few temples have arranged free food for devotees, a few temple trusts are offering medical services to patients at affordable prices.

Gearing up for the grand event, Iskcon on Chord Road has lined up several religious events from as early as 3 am on Monday that will go on till 11 pm. The society has also planned to telecast the festival live on its website, enabling devotees from various parts of the world to have live darshan. According to the organisers, over one lakh devotees are expected to turn up at the Hare Krishna Hill on Monday, and elaborate arrangements have been made to cater to the devotees.

The Lakshmi Venkataramana Swamy Temple Trust in VV Puram has also arranged darshan from as early as 7 am to 11 pm with a range of rituals. Instead of the regular religious activities, the Srinivasa Temple Seva Samiti Trust, also known as Mari Tirupati in Mahalakshmipuram, has offered a huge discount on medical tests conducted at the laboratory of the hospital run by the temple. Devotees have been requested to consult the hospital for discounted tests. Keeping in mind the festive rush, the temple has also done away with the free pass and badge system for devotees.

Several associations and philanthropists have also taken up preparation of laddus for free distribution during the Vaikunta Ekadashi darshan. While Iskcon has over one lakh laddus packed for distribution, JD(S) MLC T A Sharavana has also donated one lakh laddus to various temples for free distribution among devotees during the occasion.